Existing Creative Processes

3 days break before mastering

If the production, mixing and mastering processes are carried by the same person, I have learned that it could be a good trick to finish the mix and work on something else for a few days before finalising a song with the mastering process.

Faders all down / Re-Balance

During different stages we focus on different things. If I was going to track some drums I would want the volume balance to be very different from when I equalise the vocals. This means that by the end of the production stage the balance is often all over the place. A great thing that I learnt is to take every single fader down and re-balance everything at least a couple of times throughout a song mix and production.

Set up deadlines

Not everyone can afford to spend 10 years and 13 million dollars to record an album like Guns ‘N’ Roses did for their Chinese Democracy. Over the years, I have learnt that it is a great thing to set up deadlines to close projects and move on, so to avoid to be stuck into a production hell. Furthermore, it is incredibly important to close songs so that they can be released and I will receive feedbacks from other people.

Use a reference track

The first thing I now do before to start mixing a song is to select a similar song, of which I trust the mix. This is particularly useful to understand the balance and equalisation of the various instruments. This technique combined with a good graphic analyser and a decent monitoring system can really shape the nature of a master, in my honest opinion.

Songwriting, then Producing

This is not a rule, but just one of the many different ways I make a song currently. Previously, I have had a long period in which I have composed music directly within my DAW of choice, so that I could write vocal melodies and lyrics over. I have recently noticed, instead, that it is often a much better idea to simply focus on the songwriting aspect at the very first stage, and power on the computer only after I am fully happy with a song. Arranging a song that is fully structured and has a theme for the lyrics allows word painting and more appropriate choice of instruments when in production phase. As well as, by working in this way, the nature of the computer do not get in the way too early which often lead to a fantasy boost.

Create vocal melodies before lyrics

A technique that helps me a lot while creating melodies is to bypass the linguistic element for a moment. The use of scat singing or broken languages allows me to focus my attention simply on sounds and notes, rather than words or concepts. In this way I can quickly create a vocal line that will be later filled with words.